The scene unfolded with terrifying speed at Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort: a twelve-year-old girl, suspended precariously from a ski chairlift, her snowboard the only connection to solid ground. A viral video captured the heart-stopping moment she began to slip, her small hands desperately gripping the chair as her feet swung wildly in the air.
Below, a frantic scramble erupted. Ski patrol staff raced to position a safety net and padding, a desperate attempt to cushion the inevitable fall. Every second stretched into an eternity as they worked against time, knowing the girl’s fate hung in the balance.
Then, she fell. The footage showed her plummeting, tragically missing the majority of the safety net designed to break her descent. A collective gasp seemed to ripple through those watching, followed by a stunned silence as rescuers rushed forward, visibly shaken by what they had witnessed.
Remarkably, against all odds, the girl’s mother shared an update that defied belief. Her daughter had walked away from the fall with no broken bones and only minor injuries – a miraculous outcome in the face of such a harrowing ordeal.
The mother, in a heartfelt statement, expressed profound gratitude to the Mammoth Mountain team for their swift response and unwavering support. She emphasized the incident was a terrifying accident, not a result of negligence.
Addressing concerns about the chairlift’s safety bar, she explained the fall happened almost instantaneously after her daughter boarded the lift, leaving no opportunity to secure it. It was a series of unfortunate, rapid events, a cruel twist of fate.
The girl had been riding with two companions who bravely held onto her for as long as possible, buying precious time for the rescue team to prepare. Their efforts, the mother explained, were crucial in mitigating the severity of the fall.
Despite the trauma, the family remains undeterred. The mother affirmed their love for skiing and snowboarding, expressing their intention to return to the slopes when their daughter is ready, a testament to their resilience and spirit.
